The Small Holder Livelihood Enhancement-Business Project (SMILE-B) funded by the European Union at the tune €728,914, was recently launched at the Njawara Agricultural Training Center in the North Bank Region.

The project aims to ease the burden on women vegetable growers in the region by enabling them to have easy access to water at all times.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Paul O'hagan, Concern Universal’s international director for West Africa, underscored the significance of the project and urged beneficiaries to take ownership of the project.

Edward Seckan, governor of the North Bank Region, said that the launching of the project marks the start of a new era for the targeted beneficiaries as it will enhance their operations.    To him, the project is a step in the right direction as it is geared towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, of  eradicating poverty and hunger. He then commended the European Community through Concern Universal  for funding the project.

Speaking on behalf of the European Commission’s charge d’ affaires,  Fatou Kinteh said the European Commission is providing 728,914 Euros as a grant for the project. She said that the aim of the project is to improve livelihoods of poor rural and peri-urban populations through improved food security, increased household incomes and improved access to portable water through the promotion of affordable, small-scale water lifting and irrigation technologies.

She added that Concern Universal is a major partner of the European Commission in the implementation of its projects such as the FAMILIES project in the Western Region and the LIFE project in the North Bank Upper Region.

Mr Paul Johnson, the SMILE-B project coordinator who also spoke at the ceremony echoed Mrs Kinteh’s remarks.

The ceremony was witnessed by the Alkalo of Njawara, Aja Haddy Panneh, the chairman of Kerewan Area Council, Alhagie Lamin Ceesay, and a cross-section of the community.